Stephen Hawking's chilling warning about aliens and UFOs that resurfaces amid US UFO probe
Whilst worldwide intrigue surrounding UFOs and extraterrestrial life continues to escalate, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking consistently advocated for restraint, contending that mankind's enthusiasm to establish contact with alien civilisations could prove catastrophic.
During the period before his passing in 2018, Hawking persistently cautioned that any intentional effort to communicate with extraterrestrial beings, particularly those potentially far superior to our own species, might jeopardise humanity's survival.
His concern centred on the possibility that rather than approaching us with inquisitiveness or goodwill, a supremely intelligent alien race might view Earth as a world ready for plunder.
"If aliens ever visit us," Hawking said in a 2010 episode of Into the Universe, "the outcome might be similar to when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans."
Hawking argued it would be foolish to presume that sophisticated civilisations would inherently embrace peace, reports the Express US.
If anything, humanity's historical patterns, particularly when dominant societies encounter less developed cultures, indicate that domination, settlement, or disregard for suffering are equally probable as negotiation.
Hawking theorised that alien societies with interstellar travel capabilities would probably have depleted their homeworld's natural resources, driving them to traverse the cosmos seeking fresh planets to colonise or mine for raw materials.
Under these circumstances, Earth might be perceived as a viable conquest rather than an ally. Despite championing the hunt for intelligent life beyond our planet, Hawking drew a firm distinction between listening and making contact.
Whilst initiatives like Breakthrough Listen, which earned Hawking's backing, focus on picking up alien transmissions, other programmes including Breakthrough Message and METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) advocate actively broadcasting messages into the cosmos to announce our existence to other civilisations.
Hawking staunchly rejected these approaches. From his perspective, passive monitoring was scientifically sound, but broadcasting our whereabouts to mysterious galactic neighbours was recklessly foolish.
"We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet," he cautioned.
This warning has resurfaced lately following heightened public and governmental focus on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs, the military designation for UFOs).
American authorities have released classified military footage of mysterious airborne objects, whilst parliamentary sessions have spotlighted whistleblower allegations regarding possible non-human intelligence.
Although numerous researchers continue to doubt these encounters involve extraterrestrial visitors, public fascination has been rekindled, alongside fresh interest in Hawking's viewpoint. Detractors of active messaging contend that we simply can't predict the ethics, objectives, or behaviours of extraterrestrial beings.
Even if intelligent aliens are aware of our planet, making ourselves known could provoke a response, positive or negative, that we're ill-equipped to manage.
Stephen Hawking wasn't alone in his apprehension. Notable figures such as physicist Michio Kaku and SETI pioneer Frank Drake have voiced their ambivalence towards interstellar communication.
The late Carl Sagan, though generally more hopeful, also underscored the need for caution, pointing out the unpredictability of alien psychology.
Despite these cautionary words, some scientists argue that maintaining silence is neither practical nor beneficial. Given that Earth has been emitting radio waves into space for over a century, technologically advanced civilisations may already be aware of our existence.
From this perspective, intentional messaging might not make much of a difference.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mirror
21 hours ago
- Daily Mirror
‘Powerful' biopic featuring ‘moving' performance from Harry Potter star will have fans in tears
A Harry Potter star has fans sobbing at his 'brilliant' performance in a film that is now ready to watch for free. A 'moving' Oscar Award-winning biopic can now be enjoyed at the click of a button, 11 years after its initial release. The Theory of Everything takes a deep dive into the life and work of modern-day genius Stephen Hawking who, from a very young age, had unprecedented success in the fields of physics. Despite suffering from Motor Neurone Disease at the age of 21, Hawking continued to defeat the odds with the 2014 film not only focussing on his career but his turbulent relationship with his wife Jane. Actor Eddie Redmayne, who is renowned for starring in Les Miserables, Harry Potter 's Fantastic Beasts franchise and The Danish Girl, stars as Hawking himself and won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2015. He stars opposite actress Felicity Jones as Hawking's wife Jane, with the 41-year-old also remembered for her roles in The Brutalist, On The Basis of Sex, Inferno and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Eleven years after it made its global debut, The Theory of Everything can now be watched for free. Redmayne and Jones' The Theory of Everything has been dropped on BBC iPlayer today, Monday, August 18, and is entirely free to watch. The only thing needed to get access to the streamer is a registered email address and fans are good to go. The award-winning biopic scored an impressive 81% on Rotten Tomatoes when it first came out with fans singing the stars' praises. Posting on the review aggregator, someone commented: 'Redmayne's physical performance astounds, and Jones makes a wonderfully empathetic female lead.' Another agreed: 'Jones and Redmayne give this study of a scientific mind something special - heart.' A third remarked: 'It seems that The Theory of Everything doesn't have to theorize as much to prove that Eddie Redmayne is staging, perhaps, one of the best performances of the year.' While another added: 'The Theory of Everything is an interesting story about a genius, but it will be the performances by Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones that will stay with you.' The Theory of Everything is now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Daily Mail
Student with higher IQ than Stephen Hawking gets 23 A-levels (After her school questioned her over her attendance record!)
A student with a higher IQ than Stephen Hawking has achieved a staggering 23 A-levels with grades of A and A*. Mahnoor Cheema, has an IQ of 161 - one point higher than the famous theoretical physicist. The diligent student received an unconditional offer to study medicine at the University of Oxford following her impressive results, fulfilling her childhood dream. But it wasn't plain-sailing for the London teen who was questioned over her attendance record by her school and almost blocked from sitting her exams after missing lessons to take the necessary tests. Mahnoor, who attended Henrietta Barnett School (HBS) in north-west London, was challenged by staff over her desire to study 31 A Levels. Most pupils across England and Wales achieve just three A Level and the high-performing school objected to the star-pupil's plans. As a compromise she and the school agreed to just 23 - more than seven times the average. And it was a mammoth task for Mahnoor who secured four A* in her first two months at the sixth form. The teen sat exams in environmental management, marine science, English language and thinking skills. She previously said she has no regrets about the exams and would be 'bored and understimulated' if she only did the standard three A-levels - and said burnout is 'a choice'. 'I have loads of interests, that's why I wanted to do so many subjects - it doesn't take that much time or effort. 'I think if you have the capability to do more, it should be explored - I would be bored doing only three subjects over two years. 'Burnout is a big thing for some people but I'm just motivated and driven and it doesn't affect me. She added: 'I see burnout as a choice - it's not burnout if you enjoy what you're doing.' Mahnoor, who studied 24 GCSEs in her own time alongside 10 at Langley Grammar School and scored 33 nines and one eight - equivalent to 33 A*s and one A/A*, was supported by her mother Tayyaba, as she studied from home and her hard work has certainly paid off. On Tuesday she learnt she had achieved A*s in Law and History and on A Level results day on Thursday, she found out the last of her results which included a further two qualifications in French and Physics. In total the teen studied psychology, sociology, law, business, accounting, economics, Latin, German, computer science, film studies, politics, classical civilisation, maths, further maths, geography and media studies, physics, chemistry, biology, English literature, film studies, French, statistics and accounting. The grammar school pupil, from Slough, Berkshire, had already received an unconditional offer from Exeter College, Oxford, in January having achieved the science A-levels needed earlier in the year. And while it may have been a difficult slog, the talented pupil was sure she would achieve her dream. 'I was absolutely set on it [studying medicine at Oxford]. There was not a world in my mind where I would not get in. That is not cocky but that was my determined life path. If I did not get in I would have reapplied,' she told The Telegraph. Henrietta Barnett School is one of the best state schools for getting pupils into the prestigious universities of Oxford and Cambridge and according to recent data, it has an average of 34 offers per year meaning pupils have a 43 per cent success rate. Mahnoor was born in the UK before moving to Lahore, Pakistan with her parents in 2010. Her family then moved back to the UK in 2016 and her mother Tayyaba Cheema, 43, a full-time mum with a masters in Economics, said Mahnoor was 'quite different' from a young age. By the age of six, Mahnoor had read all seven Harry Potter books, and by 11 had learned the entire Oxford English Dictionary 'by heart'. Mahnoor was one of thousands of pupils across the UK who excitedly open their results and was one of just 28.3 per cent of pupils got A/A* this year, compared with 27.8 per cent last year, and 25.4 per cent in 2019. And she is not the only success story. At Brampton Manor in East Ham, more than half of all pupils achieved a full set of A* or A grades, with dozens of pupils securing places at universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Imperial and UCL. The school is the world's top school for Oxbridge entry, having sent 85 pupils to the prestigious universities in 2022, up from 57 in 2021 and 53 in 2020.
Daily Mirror
04-08-2025
- Daily Mirror
Stephen Hawking's chilling warning about aliens and UFOs that resurfaces amid US UFO probe
Famed physicist Stephen Hawking repeatedly warned against attempting to contact extraterrestrial civilizations, arguing that it could put humanity in grave danger Whilst worldwide intrigue surrounding UFOs and extraterrestrial life continues to escalate, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking consistently advocated for restraint, contending that mankind's enthusiasm to establish contact with alien civilisations could prove catastrophic. During the period before his passing in 2018, Hawking persistently cautioned that any intentional effort to communicate with extraterrestrial beings, particularly those potentially far superior to our own species, might jeopardise humanity's survival. His concern centred on the possibility that rather than approaching us with inquisitiveness or goodwill, a supremely intelligent alien race might view Earth as a world ready for plunder. "If aliens ever visit us," Hawking said in a 2010 episode of Into the Universe, "the outcome might be similar to when Columbus landed in America, which didn't turn out well for the Native Americans." Hawking argued it would be foolish to presume that sophisticated civilisations would inherently embrace peace, reports the Express US. If anything, humanity's historical patterns, particularly when dominant societies encounter less developed cultures, indicate that domination, settlement, or disregard for suffering are equally probable as negotiation. Hawking theorised that alien societies with interstellar travel capabilities would probably have depleted their homeworld's natural resources, driving them to traverse the cosmos seeking fresh planets to colonise or mine for raw materials. Under these circumstances, Earth might be perceived as a viable conquest rather than an ally. Despite championing the hunt for intelligent life beyond our planet, Hawking drew a firm distinction between listening and making contact. Whilst initiatives like Breakthrough Listen, which earned Hawking's backing, focus on picking up alien transmissions, other programmes including Breakthrough Message and METI (Messaging Extraterrestrial Intelligence) advocate actively broadcasting messages into the cosmos to announce our existence to other civilisations. Hawking staunchly rejected these approaches. From his perspective, passive monitoring was scientifically sound, but broadcasting our whereabouts to mysterious galactic neighbours was recklessly foolish. "We only have to look at ourselves to see how intelligent life might develop into something we wouldn't want to meet," he cautioned. This warning has resurfaced lately following heightened public and governmental focus on unidentified aerial phenomena (UAPs, the military designation for UFOs). American authorities have released classified military footage of mysterious airborne objects, whilst parliamentary sessions have spotlighted whistleblower allegations regarding possible non-human intelligence. Although numerous researchers continue to doubt these encounters involve extraterrestrial visitors, public fascination has been rekindled, alongside fresh interest in Hawking's viewpoint. Detractors of active messaging contend that we simply can't predict the ethics, objectives, or behaviours of extraterrestrial beings. Even if intelligent aliens are aware of our planet, making ourselves known could provoke a response, positive or negative, that we're ill-equipped to manage. Stephen Hawking wasn't alone in his apprehension. Notable figures such as physicist Michio Kaku and SETI pioneer Frank Drake have voiced their ambivalence towards interstellar communication. The late Carl Sagan, though generally more hopeful, also underscored the need for caution, pointing out the unpredictability of alien psychology. Despite these cautionary words, some scientists argue that maintaining silence is neither practical nor beneficial. Given that Earth has been emitting radio waves into space for over a century, technologically advanced civilisations may already be aware of our existence. From this perspective, intentional messaging might not make much of a difference.
